Observers were having eclipse get togethers and sharing their views on social networking sites. My Facebook page was buzzing all night long and I think everyone had a lot of fun sharing this celestial treat! Many said that when the full Moon became totally engulfed in Earth’s shadow it turned a coppery orange to a rusty-brown colour. Amazing to think that this colour is imparted on the face of the Moon by all the sunrises and sunsets around the the rim of the Earth- how poetic.

Next total lunar eclipse will occur on June 11, 2011 but will be visible on the other side of the world from this one – South Asia, Middle-East, and East Africa. North Americans will have to wait until April 14-15, 2014 for the next lunar disappearing act!

From my Montreal suburban driveway I stood vigil all night as a thick cloud deck obscured most of the show. Most people wrote off the eclipse because of the poor weather forecast and went to bed, but I think it was worth staying up because the partial eclipse was visible through the falling snow!

Totality was nonexistent but still got to see the curved shadow of the Earth engulf the Moon and that is still a great cosmic holiday gift for me! Here is the best shot I got of the partial phase of the eclipse through the clouds…

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2 Responses
to “Lunar Eclipse Lookback”

Well written. You made the colour of the moon, during the eclipse, understandable to me, in this sentence: “Amazing to think that this colour is imparted on the face of the Moon by all the sunrises and sunsets around the the rim of the Earth- how poetic.” The orange makes perfect sense to me now. Thanks!